Advice from the top: Ivy Tech students learn about new job-search tools

Sue Ellspermann, the new president of Ivy Tech Community College, pictured inside the Columbus Learning Center on June 6 in Columbus, discussed job search tools with Ivy Tech students.

BY MATTHEW KENT
For The Daily Journal

Ivy Tech Community College’s new president encouraged students on the Columbus campus to check the data when searching for a career.

Sue Ellspermann, the former lieutenant governor who served with Gov. Mike Pence, talked with students this week about tools the state is providing to help students at the college’s 32 campuses to choose a good career path.

The state now offers a demand-driven occupational database to help students evaluate their options, Ellspermann said.

Senate Bill 301, signed into law in March, required the Indiana Department of Workforce Development to create the database, which lists occupations and the wages for those jobs. The database lists jobs in the United States and in Indiana across different industries. The database includes a 10-year forecast of the expected workforce needs of Indiana employers, along with the training and education required to meet those needs.

Students are able to explore data for 800 jobs at hoosierdata.in.gov.

Whiteland resident Emily Martindale was among the 15 students who talked with Ellspermann during her visit. Martindale is in her third part-time semester and works on a dairy farm, and hopes to pursue a career on the communication side of agriculture, possibly working as a sales representative. Martindale said she liked what Ellspermann had to say, especially the fact that she took input directly from students during her discussion.

Ellspermann encouraged students to email her directly to tell her what improvements Ivy Tech needs to make.

Earlier feedback from students at other campuses has been helpful in determining what improvements Ivy Tech can make, Ellspermann said.

The Ivy Tech president, who started July 1, said it’s important that she interacts with Ivy Tech students around the state.

She stressed she wants students to take a critical look at their potential career choice and confirm that there is a demand in that field while looking at the likely pay. That will ultimately help them determine whether their career option is a good one or whether to consider a different path.

On the Web

Interested in learning about potential career paths? Find “Hoosiers by the Numbers,” compiled by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, at hoosierdata.in.gov.